Today is a 3 for 1!

I haven’t had chance to blog for a few days, but I have been busy scribbling away in my notebook. So here is my 3 for 1 post:

‘One cannot become a good writer without becoming a good reader.’

This is a truth that any writer should be happy to subscribe to.

So, what kind of reader are you?

I am a greedy, sometimes half starved eclectic reader. Or a binge reader perhaps? Actually I’m not sure how you’d describe a person who is half way through half a dozen books, each different from the next, who devours blogs on a regular basis, and scours Amazon like most women shop for shoes.
The only books I don’t really enjoy are Horror or a particularly harrowing read – perhaps ‘enjoy’ is the wrong word - lets just say they are not my cup of tea.

The exercise for January 5th was to think of one special book you remember reading as a child. Remember how it affected you, which characters meant the most to you and whether you learnt anything from it. Then re-read, so that you can relive the magic.

Mine was Enid Blyton’s ‘Magic Faraway Tree’. It really was magic to me and I have never forgotten it. I haven’t found my copy yet, so re-reading will have to be a task for another day.

Effective Titles

The exercise for January 6th was to brainstorm titles, for a piece you have recently begun, to be creative, and come up with a few to choose from.
I decided a mind map would be a good idea for this exercise. I find using a mind map really helps me to generate lots of weird and wonderful ideas. Obviously there’s lots of redundant titles left over once you’ve made your final choice but ‘Waste not, want not’ as the book says. Sometimes just having a title can inspire an idea for a story, so I’ve saved the leftover titles to use as prompts in the future.

Creating Characters

The exercise for January 7th is to write a one to two page bio for your character.
To understand what might make your character more realistic, think about some of the people you already know. How they behave, what characteristics they might share and which are individual to each of them.

You could include these attributes:

Physical or behavioural traits
Temperament
Beliefs or lack of them
Their fears
Their likes and dislikes
And their eccentricities.

How do you see your relationship to your readers...

...Teacher, entertainer, a voice for the Everyman?

Today I shall draft a poem or letter addressed to my fellow citizens. I will share one idea for making the world a better place.

Fred gives some suggestions; Civic responsibility, faith in a higher power, educational reform!

I smiled broadly when I saw that last suggestion, ‘educational reform’ now that’s something I can really talk about. In fact I may have trouble shutting up once I get started - it’s the one subject I have more than a just few ideas about.

... Well, it is good to be passionate about your subject. Time to put pen to paper...


You can find all the details of the exercises in this book;

Guilty as charged

My latest assignment;

Write a story in which relief is clouded by guilt.

... no problem, I've got a million of them.

Perhaps I shouldn't admit to it, but almost my entire youth was a enshrouded with the surly suffocation of guilt. Nothing major, just saying no - to absolutely anything was enough to suck the air out of my lungs and uncork the dam - some days. Still time and age has allowed the cloud to dissipate somewhat. It's a relief, which of course I still feel slightly guilty about.

... incidentally, the photo is supposed to represent the enshrouding guilt? Sorry, it was the best I could come up with!